Oh look, Chicken Thursday! Remember me? 

There have been no Cybersalt Digest mailings for the past week because Grandma Cybersalt and I have been doing some travelling. On April 25th, we both flew to Calgary and then drove 30 minutes south to take part in the Western Conference of the association of churches whom we help to sponsor refugees (more on that conference below.)

I flew home on the 28th, while Susan stayed on in Calgary to spend some time with her sister, who's husband passed away earlier in the month. I returned to Calgary on May 2 for my brother-in-law's funeral on the 3rd, and then Susan and I flew home on the 4th. As you can imagine, this cut into our time to be able to get the regular mailings out.

The conference we attended began with some sessions focused on rest and renewal for ministry leaders, lead by Pastor Steve Witmer. At lunch Steve and I ended up in the food line together, where I took the opportunity to poke some fun about Surrey, the city in which he lives. Surrey is a ferry ride and drive away from Victoria, where Susan and I live, so it was nice to meet another British Columbian while away in the province of Alberta.

As we continued to get our food, Steve wondered if he had seen me very recently and after a bit of discussion we discovered that not only is he Pastor Steve Witmer, he is also Cybersaltine Steve Witmer, a Cybersalt Digest subscriber for the past 20 years! What followed was a wonderful lunch spent talking and sharing about about ministry experiences, our families (especially grandchildren), and many other things. It was so much fun and such a blessing that I hope we get to do it again soon some time when Steve is on a trip to Vancouver Island.

So here is something I'd like to ask you. Does your pastor and spouse need some time away for retreat of rest, renewal? If your answer is, "No" I humbly suggest (from past ministry experience) that some of you have answered incorrectly. Your pastor and spouse may be putting on brave faces because they don't think they can stop for a rest or feel they can't risk showing or admitting they need a rest. Regardless of how you answered, I recommend that you gift your pastor and their spouse a week long retreat with Kerith Retreats, a Focus on the Family Ministry that Steve is a part of. What's good for your pastor is good for your church and is good for you - www.kerithretreats.ca 

Today's video share is an early video of the star of the Christmas carol, "Little Drummer Boy."
You can watch the video here.

 Enjoy the rest of today's mailing.

~ Pastor Tim